Quiz: Howstuffworks

How Many of These Car Facts Can You Get Right?

In many parts of the world, honking your horn is illegal unless you have an ________.

Emergency

A flashy car

A policeman in the back

Are transporting the president

Yes, you should only honk your horn in an emergency. It is not to be used to say hello to your friends!

Wiki Commons by Mike

In 1941, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt drove in a limousine that once belonged to which gangster?

Ronnie Kray

John Gotti

Al Capone

Carlo Gambino

Al Capone's limousine, a Cadillac, had been impounded in after the gangster's arrest. It was used in 1941 for President Roosevelt after the US declared war on Japan.

anton petukhov/Moment/Getty Images

What is the percentage of Americans who can drive a car with a manual gearbox?

100%

18%

1%

5%

Yes, only close to a fifth of all American drivers can drive a manual gearbox car.

Chris Ryan/OJO Images/Getty Images

What did some American lawmakers want to ban when they first became available for cars?

Car radios

Automatic gearing

Fog lamps

Turbocharged engines

Yes, when car radios were first introduced, a number of lawmakers across many states in the US wanted them banned, saying that they would distract the driver.

Pixabay

Which automaker did Hitler beg for money before his rise to power in Germany?

Ford

Chevrolet

Oldsmobile

Mercedes

It would have to be a German brand, would it not? Mercedes flatly refused to give the future Fuhrer any funds, however.

Wiki Commons

Joe Ranft, a co-writer and co-director on one of Pixar's biggest animation hits, sadly died in a car accident before the movie was released. What movie was it?

Toy Story

The Incredibles

Up

Cars

A sad story indeed. "Cars" was a massive hit for Pixar and who can ever forget Lightning McQueen.

Wiki Commons

One of the founders of Chevrolet, Louis Chevrolet, died penniless.

True

False

A sad story indeed.

Chris Ryan/OJO Images/Getty Images

Do you know the odds for losing your life in a car accident?

5 to 1

5,000 to 1

Billion to 1

Trillion to 1

That's pretty low, isn't it? Be careful out there, please.

Youtube via autoedit

Accident analysis reveals that a large percentage of drivers have not hit the brakes on their vehicles by the time an accident happens. What is that percentage?

40%

5%

8%

3%

That's an incredibly high number. It just shows you how quickly accidents happen. Stay safe out there while driving and always remain vigilant.

Shutterstock

There are more cars than people in which American city?

Los Angeles

Springfield

Houston

Miami

The population of the City of Angels certainly likes their cars. It might have something to do with high-paid Hollywood actors, don't you think?

Monty Rakusen/Cultura/Getty Images

Modern cars are _________% recyclable.

1%

20%

5%

80%

Incredibly, 80% of modern cars are now recyclable. That's pretty awesome!

A330Pilot/E+/Getty Images

Car accidents are the number one cause of death for Americans under what age?

70

55

35

15

When we are younger, we are certainly more reckless. That might be the reason for figures like this.

Barry Austin Photography/Photodisc/Getty Images

That 'new car' smell. We all love it, don't we? Scientists have found that it produced by how many different organic compounds?

1

2

5

50

Yes, that smell is thanks to the organic components found throughout the new car. 50 of them, in fact.

Kypros/Moment/Getty Images

In what country is it a criminal offense to drive in a dirty car?

England

United States

Canada

Russia

Really? Yes, really! Better keep your car clean if you live in Russia.

Martin Novak/Moment/Getty Images

Your chances of having an accident while texting increase by how much each time you do it?

6 times

23 times

8 times

12 times

Yes, texting and driving is a killer. Don't do it!

Shutterstock

The world's first speeding citation was issued in what year?

1896

1910

1915

1922

Yes, it didn't take long for authorities to try to control the speed of vehicles. The first ticket was issued for a driver traveling at 8 mph in 2 mph zone. Who knows how they measured his speed back in those days.

sTeVeXNYCPerformance

How many parts are there to be found in the average car?

1,000

200,000

500,000

30,000

Most of the cars made in the world today are put together from 30,000 parts. It's like a big puzzle.

dolah/E+/Getty Images

Accidents worldwide kill how many people each year?

500,000

750,000

200,000

1.25 million

Over 1,25 million people are killed on roads around the world as a result of accidents.

worsethanchiggers

In an accident, how long does it take for airbags to inflate?

0.5 seconds

30 milliseconds

1 second

0.75 seconds

That's seriously quick. But it needs to be to protect you in an accident.

Witthaya Prasongsin/Moment/Getty Images

Cruise control is great for long trips isn't it. Did you know that the inventor of this feature was _______.

Blind

Deaf

Disabled

A Russian in jail because they had a dirty car

Yes, the inventor of the cruise control, Ralph Teetor, was indeed blind. He also invented invented early versions of the powered lawn mower.

Michael England/Getty Images

And how many cars are built around the world each and every day?

10,000

25,000

5,000

165,000

Yes, a staggering 165,000 vehicles are built each day in the world. So over 20 working days - a month - that totals up to over 3.2 million! Incredible.

Wiki Commons

In 1941, Henry Ford was experimenting with new materials for car construction, including plastics. These materials included an interesting component. Do you know what it was?

Wood pulp

Soybeans

Cardboard

Paper

Yes, soybeans formed part of Ford's experimentation in the 1940s. In 2011, Ford announced that soybeans would be used in the manufacture of the seats on their Explorer model.

Photo and Co/Photodisc/Getty Images

In the early 20th century, the 'pollution' caused by _______ meant the car was seen as a 'green' alternative.

Cattle

Dogs

Horses

Pigs

Horse-drawn carriages were the prominent form of transport when cars were first invented. And horses poop, which generally meant a massive mess. Cars didn't do this so were seen as a cleaner alternative.

Wiki Commons by M 93

What percentage of cars produced by Rolls-Royce are still on the road?

25%

3%

10%

75%

Simply incredible. Well we know that Rolls-Royce models are incredibly well built but you would agree, 75% is a sensational number.

Shutterstosck

If you could travel to the moon by car traveling at 60 mph, how long would it take?

Around 6 months

23 years

50 years

75 years

Yes, the moon certainly is not that far away ... if a car could travel in space and you could sit for 6 months without a gas station break.

mevans/E+/Getty Images

Volkwagen owns a number of prestigious car brands. Which one is NOT owned by the German car maker?

Porsche

Bentley

Bugatti

Ferrari

Although they own a number of prestigious car brands, Ferrari is not one of them.

Emilija Manevska/Moment/Getty Images

What percentage of the world's population drives on the left-hand side of the road?

90%

35%

70%

5%

In countries like England, people drive on the left-hand side of the road. There are others as well, and left-hand drivers make up 35% of the world's driving population.

Igor Alecsander/Moment Open/Getty Images

What is the highest mileage ever recorded for a single vehicle?

Over 3 million miles

200,000 miles

400,000 miles

600,000 miles

Simple incredible! Yes, Irvin Gordon has driven his 1966 Volvo 1800S over 3 million miles! He has been driving the car for over 60 years.

Brian Noles

What do lawmakers in the US and Europe demand of any electric car?

That they can travel up to 1,000 miles on one charge.

That they have to be noisy enough so pedestrians can actually hear them.

That they can run on gasoline if need be.

That they don't shock anyone.

Electric motors are very quiet, sometimes often silent. For that reason, they must be made audible enough for pedestrians to be able to hear an electric car as well as see it.

Shutterstock

Where were the first licenses for self-driving cars issued?

New Zealand

Nevada

Iceland

Finland

Yes, Nevada issued the first licenses for self-driving cars as far back as 2012.

ChandniVlogs VIA YouTube

The first car race took place in 1895. What was the top speed recorded?

5 mph

18 mph

60 mph

30 mph

Not very fast, but hey, the car had just been invented! Racing cars do go a lot faster now, though!

Pixabay

How many girls can you shove into a Smart car?

2

4

19

33

Yes, 19! This world record was achieved by a group of students in Pakistan.

Igor Alecsander/Moment Open/Getty Images

What percentage of new cars sold in Brazil are powered by fuel made from sugar cane (ethanol)?

92%

0%

5%

13%

That's a staggering figure but great for the environment. Now if only other countries could catch on!

Wikimedia Commons by AWG97

Although they are made to drive in _______% of a car's lifetime is spent parked.

80%

50%

75%

95%

Yes, as much as 95% of a car's lifetime is spent not moving.

Tetra Images/DigitalVision/Getty Images

Cassette decks were once standard on many cars. The Lexus SC430 was the last car produced with one. What year did the last SC430 roll off the production line with this old audio playback technology?

1990

2000

2010

2018

Unbelievable, Lexus still had cassette decks in the SC430 until 2010.

bruceman/E+/Getty Images

How many people are injured in accidents around the world each year?

1 million

5 million

800,000

50 million

A staggering 50 million people are injured in road accidents each year. Stay safe while driving, please!

Hans-Peter Merten / Stockbyte / Getty Images

In what year did the first car accident occur in the United States - in Ohio as a matter of fact?

1891

1909

1902

1900

Yes, believe it or not, the first car accident occurred at the dawn of motoring.

Shutterstock

How many cars are on the road globally?

50 million

25 million

1 billion

200 million

Yes, 1 billion cars, that's almost a car for every eight people on the planet! No wonder cars have contributed so significantly to the greenhouse effect.

burwellphotography/E+/Getty Images

How long does the average America car commuter spend in traffic each year?

10 days

38 hours

25 days

120 hours

38 hours! That's about 38 hours too much. We hate traffic but it's a fact of modern life...

About This Quiz

Since their invention in the late 1800s, cars have been part of our daily lives. They are an important part of our routines, taking us to and from work, to the store and back, on vacation or just out for a day trip. Imagine a world without them. It would be terrible, would it not? Our independence would simply not exist at the level it does today.

That said, cars can be dangerous, especially when we or others drive recklessly. So let's test your knowledge about a range of car facts, ranging from accident figures, safety devices, world records, top speeds and the like.

For instance, do you know the world record for the most people in a Smart car? Or whose limousine did President Franklin Roosevelt 'borrow' in 1941. What about the number of people injured in car accidents around the world, or more tragically, the number of people killed in accidents each year? And when it comes to your safety, how long does it take for an airbag to deploy or what should your car horn only be used for?

These are just some of the interesting facts you will discover in our Car Facts Quiz.

Do you think you can ace it?

About HowStuffWorks Play

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